In the last moments of my previous life, all I saw was a blinding light that penetrated through me right after my consciousness went dim. It felt like eternity when darkness embraced the terrified body of mine. The moment I got my senses back, my body felt light and I could feel someone's delicate skin around me entirely. As if cradled gently like a baby.

What greeted me then was a soft, almost distant, voice that was pleasant to hear. I wanted to see whose voice that was, but my eyes seems to be too tired to open. The voice was warm and alluring, drawing my senses near, and the hands that seems to carry me began to rock up and down ever so gently.

_Wait. Carry me? Who would carry a 20-year-old grown up like a baby?_

Realization then struck my mind. Now I could feel it. The crying and whimpering of a baby rang through my own ears. _My god! Is this my voice? I, Vlack Lindon, turned into a damn baby?_. A faint breeze entered wherever we are at the moment and what brushed up my nose when I breathe was the smell of sweat with a tinge of sweet flower scent of a garden.

Another voice jammed in. This time, it was raspy and loud. My body reacted by crying even louder. _Damn, this body of mine won't listen_.

I tried to forcibly open my eyes even just the slightest but it proved to be more straining than doing a planking exercise for a full minute. Luckily, or more like miraculously, my brain finally sent the right instructions to the muscles around my eyes and I succeeded.

"Oh my, honey," the woman gasped in surprise. "Look! Our son stopped crying. And, and, he seems to be able to open his eyes already."

_So this was the person who has the mellifluous voice_.

I stared at the woman through the small slit my eyes can give. Although my vision is blurry with tears, I can make out two unfamiliar faces looming over me. _So I am a baby once again. *Sigh_.

The woman resembled that of a goddess in beauty that could ensnare any man at first sight. Her straight azure hair hung alongside her shoulders, and the white shirt she's wearing was drenched in sweat. Although her lips were a bit dry that it turned gray, it was perfectly thin. Her eyes were a flawless tidal emerald behind those azure hair. _I hope my father can match her looks_.

The other person beside her seems to be the husband. Unlike the woman's smooth and clear skin, this man was tatted with red line marks not only on his hands but also to his neck. Ignoring the lines, his face matched the goddess' face beside him. _Good_. He was well proportioned. Like those types of men in a high rated bar seducing hot women to their table. His eyes were refined and thick eyebrows rested above them. His chiseled cheeks radiates a strong stare along with his unwavering golden black eyes. It was scary and menacing to stare at but also marvelous and reliable in a sense.

"Honey, he seems to have your eyes," the woman exclaimed while carefully brushing my cheeks with the back of her delicate fingers.

The man took a closer look and crunched his eyebrows. He then nodded in approval. "Mmhmm. Right, my blood runs strong with him. Look at his limbs, it's all chunky. A healthy boy it is!" He grinned and laughed while pulling my tiny chunky legs up and down like a seesaw.

He then began to tickle me, playfully stroking my nose. "Achoowichoo~ choo choo~ How's my little big boy? Look at ya', lookin' strong for a baby."

His smile was lenient but the fingers were rough, calluses covered almost his entire hand. The woman chuckled at the sight of her husband trying to cheer up their child.

I turned my head to her and in response, she caressed my chin. "I've decided." Said the woman. "We shall name him," there was a brief pause in her sentence as she looked up to her husband, "Cainne. Cainne le Mort."

The man met her gaze. "Cainne." He recited, closing his eyes and turning his head up as if listening to an old nostalgic song. Then his head rocked up and down in approval. "It has a nice ring to it. I like it." Both of them smiled at the same time and tapped their forehead at each other, closing their eyes and began to steal each other a kiss.

The man broke the sweet moments and glanced outside the window. "We should call the elder now and proceed with his blessings."

The woman nodded in agreement. The same is for the other people who are also in the room the entire time. _Which I failed to notice up until now_. These were the women who aided the woman in delivering the baby. But before they all could dart outside, someone knocked on the door from outside and a hoarse, restrained voice rang out. "We're here Reom, Fiona. How did it go?"

Rina, one of the women who accompanied Fiona during her labor, recognized the voice and quickly opened the door for the elder. He was accompanied by two more men, around the same age as him. All three of them were fashioned in robes, covering their shoulders down to their knees. Despite their age, they all seem to have a good balance in their stature. Their muscles were also showing, giving a hint of an active and hardworking lifestyle. Not just a laid-back chieftain or some sort.

"He's fine elder Kaur." Reom bowed his head before the three elders. "We could feel a faint source of mana within him." His eyes met Fiona's. "Probably all thanks to her bloodline."

The elder took some steps closer to check the baby of any mutations. The baby's eyes is what caught him the most. They were staring back at him, golden black like that of his father. Menacing, yet cool. The elder, although he looked like a normal human, his silver eyes were even more penetrating like blades that could dig deep through the flesh. He peered at me for a few moments, scratching his beard as he shifts his gaze up and down. In the end, he smiled with satisfaction. "I see no problem having mana if one parent has it. But we may need to add something later on." He used his hand to gesture them outside. "Come with me. We just had finished preparing. It won't affect the outcome as long as your blood," pointing his finger to Reom then nodding towards my direction, "runs through his."

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All of them nodded and marched outside in line, with the elder leading the way. _Alright, now where are we headed. Why can't they just bring the blessing here?_ They all seem to know what will happen next. I however, do not know what they're talking about, or what they are going to do to me, and what this blessing thing is. All I could do was to flail my limbs, cry unnecessarily, and clutch these tiny hands of mine that sometimes won't even listen to my commands.

The sun's greeting was stinging, it made me tear up even more. The village itself seems peaceful. The sky was free from clouds and the breeze with the scent of damp soil and wood wafted through the air. It was kind of refreshing, it relaxed my body even just for awhile. Curious eyes from the other households set their gazes on us as we treaded the dirt trail leading to the center of the village, where the biggest building stood. A minute of walking later, we entered the said building. But only the elders and my parents were allowed to go in. The women who walked with us stayed outside the doorstep and bowed their heads as one of the elders closed the door. Bookshelves dominated the interior of the house. They were lined up against the wall, a large vase adorned with intricate patterns lay in between each of the shelves. The wooden structure along with the trails of random overgrown vines that managed to get inside set the ambience of the room. A table that almost has no design rested flat on the middle of the room, with seven more stark chairs surrounding it.

None of the elders gestured for us to sit. Instead, they went inside another room and my parents followed through. This time, the room had a cauldron at the center. Tables were scattered throughout the corners. One has potion flasks aligned on top of it. Another has different kinds of materials and ingredients on it. _Ah. Am I gonna get experimented on? Sigh*_

Fiona put me down carefully on a free table beside the cauldron in the middle. I could still smell the burned ingredients from it. It wasn't foul, but it certainly also wasn't pleasant. Fiona, the worried mother, stood near me and cupped my tiny hands. I could see a tint of concern plastered on her face as the muscles were lightly tensed. The elders went on their way to collect potion flasks from the shelf situated at the room corner. Each of them grabbed a potion with different colors. They approached the three and held the flasks up for Reom and Fiona to see.

Kaur began to talk. "Remember Fiona, Reom, these concoctions' effects will fail if either of you tries to interfere with the process. Your child bears an ancient bloodline, let his blood do the work. Have faith in it." He turned his eyes to Fiona. "I know how difficult it is to see your child in distress but please, heed what I've just said."

Fiona clasped my hands tighter but eventually softened right after. "I understand elder."

Reom also spoke his thoughts. "He needs this in the future." He scooped the child's head. "I can protect him with my strength but even strength has its limits. If a curse befall on him, or a disease unknown to healers," he shook his head, "that I cannot defeat. Neither do Fiona."

The elder nodded. "Very well then. If by chance his body does not accept these, the worst that could happen is his memory getting disintegrated but he hasn't formed any yet which is why it's best to do this now." He paused for a second to see the couple's reaction. When the elder was satisfied, he continued. "Then we'll begin. Four drops of each of our potions. Muren's concoction will go first." He speaks fast. "It will help the child build resistance to toxic ailments. Which also helps in consuming the other two. So if he gets pass the first, the second and third won't be a problem."

Muren took a step closer and replaced Reom's place. His hand is now behind my nape while the other hand held the potion just above my mouth, slightly angling his hands for a few drops. Kaur picked up where he left off. "If the child vomits blood, then we stop and I allow you to assist him in his recovery. But if not, mine will go next. It shall help him develop an aura that could resist and neglect horrible curses. Not all of it but at the very least, most. Agem's potion will be the last. It shall help the child render a core befitting of mana." He furrowed his eyebrows. "I was only planning to make him drink two but since mana is present in his body, which shouldn't be, we must make it so his core is able to accept the mana that will flow in his body." The elder shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Your child is special. Two ancient bloodline in one. That has never been seen even among royal families. Half of his blood will reject the natural flow of mana and we must pray that the last potion works. If not, then his body may mutate during childhood."

_Mutation? Like having two heads and this and that? Nuh uh please don't_.

Muren just finished pouring four drops of liquid in my mouth. It kissed my tongue and was warm at first. But as the warmth traveled down to my throat, it quickly became fire. Once it settled in my stomach I could feel every muscles in my body contracting. My insides were being churned up. The burn was ridiculously torturing every inch of my body. Loud complaints of cries overwhelmed the entire room and I was heaving heavily despite my weak lungs. The me even started shedding tears. I wriggled wildly despite being a new born, my short, chunky limbs were flailing like crazy. Certain amounts of saliva escapes my mouth here and then. Luckily, the elder does not find any blood in it.

_God! What the fuck is this!! It's.. it's devouring my insides!_

My tiny hands began searching for something to grasp onto, thinking it would pass the pain to whoever touches me first. And Fiona, the ever worried mother, was there and offered her fingers. She tried to soothe my pain with her voice but it won't go away. If I could let out a guttural scream I would have done so. She pecked my cheeks, as if catching the falling tears. The soft thin lips were pressed against me and somehow, someway, this body of mine began to calm down slightly. The pain though, still shoots in every corner of my body. My mind wanted to just black out from pain but the pain itself was keeping me awake.

It lasted for a few more minutes and finally, my limbs relaxed. The burning sensation is no more than a dull feeling but my face was already drenched in sweat. Thankfully, my loving mother Fiona, is there to wipe it off of me. "Good. He didn't form any foam with blood from his mouth. These two concoctions left won't be as excruciating as the first. He should be fine."

_I do hope so, baldy. This thing you gave me pretty fucked up my insides. I mean, not literally_.

They did the same process and the amount of drops to be poured in my mouth for the second. Kaur's potion this time has the opposite sensation. Coldness embraced me tightly. My muscles everywhere felt prickling and numb but it was more bearable than the fire slithering inside me earlier. My body did not even cry. _Wee. Tough boy._ I began to wonder how a child, a newborn at that, could withstand these kind of feeling. But again, the bloodline probably plays a huge role.

The effects lasted for not more than three minutes. Alas, the third potion came. It bear no burning nor cold feeling when it settled in my tongue except it was dreadfully bitter. I wanted to throw up but I could only cough at best. Something in my stomach though began to shake. It was hard to determine whether it was physical or something else but the pain was absent nonetheless. _Good. Don't make me feel another one_. And just like the previous one, the bitterness did not last for more than three minutes and whatever is happening in my stomach began to settle down.

Exhaustion caught my body and now I feel drowsy. My vision starts to become blurry as seconds ticks by. I let out a yawn in front of the people near me. _Guess I'm still a child after all_. I could see the elders and my parents hovering their face above me for awhile before my eyes finally gave up and shut down.

The last thing I ever saw was Fiona's green eyes and lips that was slightly curled up.

CHAPTER END//